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All that matters

Cincinnati survived a wild second-half surge by Vincent Council in a win that tested their fortitude, but taught a valuable lesson in what will be important over the critical stretch to close the season.

CINCINNATI
- Vincent Council pulled up the left wing and buried a 3-pointer.
He pulled up from the right wing drained another. From seemingly
every other corner of Fifth Third Arena during the first 12 minutes
of the second half, Council turned pressure into points.

"He
was making some unbelievable stuff," Sean Kilpatrick said.

And
for a period of about 30 minutes Wednesday night, his theatrics in
almost single-handedly erasing the majoirty of a 24-point second-half
deficit, the Providence senior proceeded to scare the Blue Hose out
of the UC fan base.

On
most nights in the Big East, even against the league's
cellar-dweller, wins don't come without drama. The latest 81-66
victory for the Bearcats followed suit.

In
the end, the good far outweighed the bad and UC exited with its
must-win in tow. At this point in time, during step one in this
season defining six-game dash to The Dance, aesthetics and skipped
heartbeats mean nothing.

"Any
double figure win in the Big East is a great win," Mick Cronin
said. "Only score that matters is the final score. That is all that
matters."

Such
will be the case from this point forward. The days of teaching points
and valiant effort dissolved with that 12-point lead at Marquette. A
fresh season of urgency began Wednesday against the Friars. While the
attitude and intensity didn't appear different for Cronin, the
players noticed. They feel the warm winds of March beginning to blow
through campus. This time of year and situation altered the mindset.

"It's
more of in the locker room and on the court just try to help each
other stay focused on what we are trying to do," said Yancy Gates,
who finished with 16 points and nine rebounds. "Finish strong down
the stretch so we can get into the tournament where we want to be.
It's more of everybody, a group thing, trying to make sure everybody
is focused."

Few
moments will test that focus like the second half did Wednesday.

Once
Gerard Coleman slammed a two-handed dunk down on a fast break with
4:26 remaining to conclude a 29-12 run by the Friars, UC stared down
a seven-point lead and the possibility of a collapse that would play
in their memories for years to come.

Timeouts
were called. Strategy was relayed. In the first of what will be many
tense moments over the next month, the Bearcats persevered. It was
far from perfect, but grabbing 18 of 34 offensive rebounds and
holding the Friars to 25 first-half points was enough to leave no
doubt on a 15-point win.

The
path to 18-8, 8-5 reiterated a message Cronin relayed following the
blowout at Marquette.

"Before
(Providence) made the run I told guys you got to quit looking at the
scoreboard and just play," Cronin said. "That was our problem
against Marquette. We are worried about blowing a 12-point lead, it
doesn't matter. People say, 'You are up 12.' Well, so what? I
averaged 30 a game in eighth grade. Nobody cares. I am the same
height, same weight and no hair now. It doesn't matter. You got to
show toughness and keep playing."

These
days, in Clifton, that means finding a way to make stops.

Once
Council cooled, the Bearcats did halt the madness. But those moments
where the lead was in question reset a reality of what confronts this
team. What seems like decades ago, in November, this same general
consensus existed. UC must find a way to replace the defense lost to
graduation if they plan to return to the NCAA Tournament.

They
had to uncover the suffocation of Rashad Bishop and recreate the
tenacity of Larry Davis and Darnell Wilks.

"It's
taken a long time for me to be right, but I told you early in the
year because of loss of our seniors that played defense at this level
for four years that that's where we would be hurt the most," Cronin
said. "Ultimately, we are a much better offensive team.
Defensively, we are still trying to batten down the hatches. That is
going to decide our fate."

Thanks
to a few missed shots and converted free throws, there was enough
defense to put UC a step closer to its desired final position.

In
the wee hours of Wednesday night and Thursday morning, as the tension
of the Council crusade dissipated, none of those details mattered
much anymore. Only the final score did. One down, five to go.